After trading their franchise star Bradley Beal this summer, the Washington Wizards have begun a rebuild that was thought to be centered around young stars Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. But as NBA insider Marc Stein revealed today, the Wizards actually have other plans when it comes to Poole, and he may not even be in the long-term picture at all.
In fact, when it comes to Poole as “a cornerstone player of their post-Bradley Beal future,” the Wizards are moving in another direction entirely.
“My sense, from speaking to various league observers, is that more believe it is the former rather than the latter with Poole in Year 1 of a four-year, $123 million contract,” Marc Stein wrote.
Poole isn’t too far removed from winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors, but questions about his attitude and concerns about his focus on defense have sapped all confidence in his NBA potential. Now, with the Wizards, Jordan Poole is free to play the game on his own terms but the Wizards’ struggles have not reflected well on his ability to establish a winning culture away from the shadow of Stephen Curry.
Jordan Poole Is Struggling
Averaging 16.2 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 40% shooting, Jordan Poole’s numbers are down across the board since starting his tenure with the Wizards. Worse still, his defensive performance is at the lowest point of his career so far and it’s a big reason why the Wizards have yet to win more than two games this season. Of course, for a guy who is still just 24 years old, it’s not surprising that Poole has displayed some maturity issues this season but he hasn’t shown a willingness to change so far even after his dramatic exit from Golden State.
Just recently, Poole went viral for a clip where he can be seen ignoring his coaches during a crucial timeout huddle. Besides that, he’s been acting up all season long with wild plays that include missing a no-look three-point attempt and going for an unnecessary alley-oop during a blowout loss to the Hawks. Needless to say, Poole has been awful with the Wizards so far but it seems they will be happy to move on from him if/when they can get his trade value back to a reasonable level.
The Wizards Are Taking It Slow
Ranked 14th in the East, the Wizards are on pace to finish as one of the worst teams in the league this season. Of course, as bad as it is, many Wizards fans still agree that rebuilding from scratch was a necessary step to becoming a better, more competitive team in the future. This season, there’s no reason to think that the Wizards will be competitive in any fashion but these next few months will be a big test for them as they shift their focus into finding their new identity as a team.
For his part, Jordan Poole will play a big role in the action on the court and he has already taken up the mantle as the leader of the group for his championship experience. But at this point, the best path forward for Washington may be to keep Poole until they can flip him for better assets. Unless they can pull if off, however, the team will just have to live with all of the things he brings to the court — the good and the bad.
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